A distinctive feature of the Edge Hill University Confucius Institute is its provision of language and cultural activities and opportunities that are available for University students, teachers, primary and secondary schools, colleges, members of the local community, and businesses.
Courses
All our language teachers are native Mandarin speakers, awarded certification from the Centre for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC) and fully qualified teachers of Chinese as a foreign language.
Edge Hill University offers:
activity sessions for children of all ages
professional development for teachers and trainee teachers wanting to enhance the quality of Mandarin Chinese teaching
opportunities for students studying at Edge Hill, the local community and businesses to gain a greater understanding of Chinese language and culture
all courses are free and open to University students, staff and the general public
These courses are delivered face-to-face at the Ormskirk campus and are free of charge Monday 6pm – 7.30pm Starting 28 September 2026 – June 2027
This course introduces students to the basic features of the Chinese language: pronunciation of the four tones and the key sounds in Chinese, the different components of Chinese characters, and the main sentence structures and everyday Mandarin.
The teaching approach is interactive and focused on building students’ listening and speaking skills. It also expands the ability of reading and writing Chinese characters. It will also provide some knowledge of Chinese culture.
Tuesday 6 pm – 7.30 pm Starting 29 September 2026 – June 2027 In person Ormskirk Campus
This course is designed for those who have studied Chinese for at least 60 hours. At the end of this course, you should have a command of 600 commonly used words and related grammar patterns.
We aim to make classes enjoyable and stimulating. You will have plenty of opportunity to practise speaking, reading, and writing in a friendly and informal atmosphere.
Tuesday 6pm – 7.30pm Start Date: 29 September 2026 – June 2027 In person Ormskirk Campus
This course is designed for learners who have studied Mandarin at HSK 1 and 2 and wish to continue to expand their vocabulary, grammar, and sentence structures whilst preparing for the HSK 2 exam.
Wednesday 6pm – 7.30pm Starting: 30 September 2026 – June 2027 In person Ormskirk Campus
Students should have passed HSK Level 2, have completed 100 hours Mandarin learning, or have the equivalent learning experience, and be keen to further improve their Chinese proficiency level.
This course will cover an introduction to the HSK exam structure, HSK 3 vocabulary lists, a range of topics covered in HSK 3, as well as grammar and sentence structure. The tutor will work through several past exam papers with the students to improve their exam confidence alongside their listening, reading, and writing skills.
Wednesdays 6pm – 7.30pm Start Date: 30 September 2026 – June 2027
This course is designed for learners who have completed HSK 3 (A) and wish to continue building their skills in preparation for taking the full HSK 3 exam at the end of the course.
These courses are delivered face-to-face at the Ormskirk campus and are free of charge
Introduction to Chinese Culture and Language (10-week course)
Thursday, 8 October (10 weeks)
On campus (6pm-7.30pm)
The course aims to provide learners with an experiential and reflective introduction to Chinese culture. Rather than focusing on factual memorisation, the course emphasises cultural experience, interpretation, helping learners understand how cultural values shape everyday life in China.
This course is designed for adult learners who wish to learn practical spoken Mandarin Chinese for everyday communication. Emphasis is placed on real-life, situational language use, helping learners develop confidence in listening and speaking.
The course avoids heavy grammar instruction and writing, focusing instead on interactive and functional communication, including social interaction, shopping, dining, travel, and basic services.
Learners will practise Mandarin through guided dialogues, role-play, pair/group activities, and scenario-based exercises.
By the end of the course, you will be able to:
Communicate in basic spoken Mandarin in everyday contexts
Introduce themselves and exchange simple personal information
Ask for help, directions, and services politely
Handle common interactions such as shopping, eating out, and travel
Gain awareness of cultural norms in Chinese communication
